The Clothes Whisperer: the fashion blog with wit that sparkles: February 2010

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Thursday, February 25, 2010

IllaMasqua's Video: House of Blue Eyes at London Fashion Week

Whispered by The Clothes Whisperer

House of Blue Eyes and Illamasqua share a vision - a vision of individuality and tolerance, respect and acceptance of others beliefs and lifestyle choices.

We also share a mutual love of artist expression and colour, so when Alex Box met with Johnny Blue Eyes for the House of Blue Eyes Autumn Winter 2010 show, you can be bet that the result was a glorious explosion of colour.

Inspired by the cockettes - a late 60's/early 70's San Francisco based performance art group - and the clashing colours of Andy Warhol's Marilyn prints. Musical inspirations came in the shape of John and Yoko's The Plastic Ono's band, Power to the People [Right On], 5th Dimension's Aquarius [Let The Sunshine In], and the classic early 70's musical 'Hair'.

Watch this Access All Areas video on life behind-the-scenes at the House of Blue Eyes, an intervie

LFW AW10: HOUSE OF BLUEEYES, the one you've been waiting for

Whispered by The Clothes Whisperer

At last I've had time to sit and do this properly, ladies and gentleman of the whisperatti. I was certainly not going to give the House of Blueeyes a shoddy half-written rough draft of a review. Not after Butters and I spent over three hours in hair and makeup less than 24 hours after landing in the UK post-NYFW. Two and a half hours spent concealing all manners of tiredness carving out lines and puffing out bags across the various regions of my sleep-deprived visage, 30 minutes for the rest.

This season, Johnny et al teamed up with Vauxhall Fashion Scout, to bring their message of hope and love to the center stage of fashion week. Whether or not the journos, buyers, and all the rest received said message--jaws dropped and gasps were audible when the fashionistas arrived en masse, expecting, well, something expected and instead were welcomed by us. Essentially, an army of avatars of love, glittery hybrids of the hippy movement underscored by a bit of HAIR meets Jesus Christ Superstar.

"Fourty years on since the last Summer of Love our world is in a dark place, we are at war and there is a deep recession and disillusionment with corporate establishments such as the banks. We feel that despite this, here in the west we are extremely privileged to be in the position we are and we need to share love in the world. Welcome the Revolution of Love Collection to mark the end of this decade and the move to a more positive place," Johnny said before the show.

There were tye-dyed bodies and an afro-wigged love child, wearing nothing but his pink hand dyed undies adorned with butterflies and bumble bees. Ferocious feathered and peace sign bedecked disco divas graced the Masonic Building's arched window-frames, silhouettes standing out like angels of art come to life out of some sort of hand-painted, hand-crafted, Warholic stained glass Cathedral window. Some drifted through the crowd, breaking that normally impenetrable boundary of models and model-watchers, forcing the audience to interact physically with the collection as butterfly faced girls and boys of all colors, shapes and sizes, united by their surrender to color, art and love, served the bewildered guests tea and pretty pink cupcakes in delicate vintage porcelain cups and saucers.

Others lounged on the stage near their creator, Johnny, who was busy painting a portrait of the dearly departed Lee Alexander McQueen, crafting an icon which was ultimately destined to hit the streets in the style of a solemn Catholic Procession (think: Semana Santa) after the show. A parade in memory of the master, from the steps of Vauxhall Fashion Scout to the door of Punk Soho, the HOBE afterparty destination. A runway which doesn't end at the pit of photographers, but who's meaning carries on into the streets, not something many an editor has seen in her day.

photo by Paula Harrowing

Thrice we stormed the catwalk in revolutionary defiance (Butters nestled in my hot pink arms), at the top of each hour to the tune of Age of Aquarius--defiance of fashion as exclusive convention, defiance of its inherent commercialism. Anyone watching could take part in the catwalk, and many a runway virgin, blushed as a body-painted mostly-naked yet glowing and glittering Johnny led then by the hand, encouraging: "the runway is for everyone."

Whether they got it, and even if they didn't, after a full day living and breathing the "upcycled" collection (everything was remade or reworked from existing garments), that the revolution of love, the revolution of ART, which fashion, especially with the passing of a visionary such as Alexander McQueen, is in dire need, has at last arrived on the doorstep of Somerset House.

That it is in motion, that Johnny and his team have forced us to reevaluate the role of fashion, of art in our lives in such a world, whether we like it or not, is, in its translation into our everyday lives, much like the philosophy behind the collection itself. Just like the "upcycled" collection, of which Johnny encourages you not to partake retail-wise, but rather, to draw upon for inspiration, to help you revisit the clothes you already have in your closet and inspire you to breathe new life into them, the Revolution, whilst Johnny and the HOBE can plant that first sparkly seed, firing that shot heard round the fashion world, it's up to you to implement its lessons and manifest it in the universe around you.

Photos by Pat Lyttle: note how beautifully composed they are, some are like portraits shot in a studio and others look like contrived and highly styled photo shoots...but they're not, that's just Pat :)

be sure to check out his website Jstreetstyle.com!

EXPECT MORE GORGEOUS' REVOLUTION AND LOVE' INSPIRED EXPERIENCES TO COME.......

LOOK FORWARD TO BEING AMAZED..INSPIRED & FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT OF REVOLUTION & LOVE

ART+ LOVE + FREEDOM = HEAVEN ON EARTH

JOHNNYBLUEEYES XXX '

LFW AW10: Vauxhall Fashion Scout and the FAD Competition

Whispered by The Clothes Whisperer

Young designers and young media (bloggers, for example), it's a marriage made in fashion karma heaven for good reason. Few of fashion's hierarchical hiccups are as frustrating or confounding as mega-PRs scooping up young designers for various sponsorships programs/competitions/mentorships/etc to herald the creativity of tomorrow and then deny tickets to the bloggers, the indie mags and other forms of alternative media. Yes I understand that the big wig press and big pocketed buyers need to be exposed up close and personal to the bright young things. But as anyone who works in the fashion industry knows, there's many a bright young think lurking round the fashion cupboard beyond the runway. And without that fresh blood rushing in like a waterfall of unemployed wannabe interns, the fashion world would dry up, stale and limp.

Now to my point. Vauxhall Fashion Scout, a young designer showcase alongside the main runway schedule, accommodates all walks of media at their shows. From Ones to Watch to the Merit Awards (which I sadly missed on account of conflicts and the last of NYFW), Vauxhall sponsors some of London Fashion Week's most exciting designers. Not that Margaret Howell's and her legions of khakis and macs isn't a scream, but it sure ain't half the hoot that it is to watch a young man fasten a corseted ensemble out of what looks like thousands of strands of licorice or skirts made entirely of wigs. Without the untainted, unretailified raw creative talent of the next generation ravishing the runways of the non-BFC variety, I'm afraid London Fashion Week would be very dull indeed.

And this season, proof positive of the venue's attitude towards the fast-evolving landscape of digital media, the whole shibang was sponsored by my blog's network, Glam. So it is in the spirit of sisterly support, of bloggers supporting young designers and vice versa, laying those first few bricks of the next generation of fashion's leaders that I present the FAD (Fashion Awareness Direct) Competition of 2010. FAD is a creative charity supporting young people, and aims to bridge the gap between education and the fashion industry.

The FAD Competition is dedicated to highlighting and encouraging undergraduate talent and this year, the charity received nearly 100 entries from over 34 UK colleges and universities. The 14 finalists include entrants from Manchester Met, Central Saint Martins, University of Salford and Nottingham Trent University. They were charged with the brief of "exploring the concept of memory to create a future fashion legacy." Each finalist had to create two looks, one inspired by personal memory, the other by collective or shared ones. How Project Runway is this?

Alas, no aufiderzein here for our schadenfreude, just prizes. £2,000 went to the winner as well as a work placement with Dame Vivienne Westwood. Hooray for major (I won't say older) designers supporting their up and coming successors! I also applaud FAD's (and many a Vaxuhall show this season, not least House of Blueeyes) use of non rail-thin models. Guess the future may be more rosy and less 2012 (the movie) after all :)